A queer, baroque, tender and surreal novel that conveys glimmers of hope for the future within the brutal colonial history of Latin America
From deep in the wilds of the New World, Antonio writes a letter to his aunt, the prioress of the same Basque convent he escaped as a young girl. Since transforming into Antonio, he has had monumental adventures and taken on numerous guises. He has been a mule driver, shopkeeper, soldier, cabin boy and conquistador. He has wielded his sword and slashed with his dagger.
Now, hiding in the jungle and hounded by the army he deserted, Antonio is looking after two Guaraní girls he rescued from enslavement. But the New World has one more metamorphosis in store, which might save them all from extinction.
Based on the life of Antonio de Erauso, a real figure from the Spanish conquest, We Are Green and Trembling offers a critique of religious tyranny and the mistreatment of women and Indigenous people – finding in the rainforest a magical space where transformation is not only possible but necessary. It was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026.
About the Author
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was born in Buenos Aires and is one of the leading figures in Argentinian literatureAbout the Translator
Robin Myers is a poet and Spanish-to-English translatorThis fiercely imaginative reworking of colonial history gives voice to a 17th-century figure in the depths of the South American jungle. At once playful and devastating, tender and enraging
— The International Booker Prize 2026 judges
‘In this fiercely imaginative reworking of colonial history, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara gives voice to the 17th-century figure Antonio de Erauso, who writes from the depths of the South American jungle after fleeing imperial authority. While caring for two Indigenous girls he has freed from enslavement, Antonio becomes both witness to and participant in the brutal machinery of conquest. Written in luminous, wild, lyrical and inventive language, We Are Green and Trembling is at once playful and devastating, tender and enraging. This imaginative novel critiques familiar narratives of colonialism and empire while offering moments of startling beauty and transformation. It is a vivid and audacious story that reclaims history through language itself.’
Brock Kingsley, Chicago Review of Books
‘Through its exploration of identity, history, and resistance, Cabezón Cámara dismantles dominant narratives and power structures. In doing so, she constructs a story that is not only inclusive but also redemptive – anchored in the richness of language, the beauty of the natural world, and the power of storytelling to reclaim what history tries to erase.’
Isaac Zamet, Financial Times
‘We Are Green and Trembling is a hallucinatory, innocent, fanciful and redemptive book. Gabriela Cabezón Cámara elects one saint but meets the reader through the minds of many.’
